I recently came across this Longines Symphonette box set, and I almost didn't grab it until I found out what else was inside. The music is pretty much what you'd expect - absurdly lush string arrangements, dance band versions of Hawaiian songs, and vocals that would be right at home on the Lawrence Welk show (although I should say that you could easily lift all the dance band songs from this collection and make a half-decent album.)

In reality, this is a "Luau in a Box." Stuffed in with the discs was all the original album club ephemera, including two sweepstakes entries for a Hawaiian vacation and a picture book of the islands with "suggested recipes" to accompany your exotic listening party. The recipes, like the music, are highly westernized and geared toward your average 1971 shopping list.

Out of the list the most appetizing ones look like the ginger-honey chicken with snow peas and the honey-butter glazed fruit-and-coconut kebabs.

Coat the cubed pork with the egg wash. Cover with cornstarch and let rest for 15-20 minutes. In a high-sided pan, fry the pork cubes in 1 inch of hot oil until golden brown, being careful not to overfill the pan. Rest the fried pork on a paper towel to drain. Drain the oil from the pan and save the browned cornstarch.

In the same high-sided pan, saute the vegetables in oil over high heat until tender. Remove vegetables from pan. Add browned cornstarch, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and mirin. Cook this mixture, adding more cornstarch until the sauce thickens. Return vegetables to the pan, and add pineapple chunks. Stir until hot. Serve with the fried pork over rice or fried noodles.

Picked up this recipe flier at a little German gift shop on my latest trip to the Midwest. It's an absolute time capsule of a place - the window displays are bleached pure blue. The pile of pamphlets has evidently been sitting there, barely touched, since the 1980s. Fair warning: if you're not a fan of Swiss cheese, these recipes aren't for you.

Here is a variation of a dish called Beggar's Chicken that's great fun to serve at a small luau
Crockpot Kalua pork pre-cooked, wrapped in foil then wrapped in clay and baked. At the table you break the clay off and serve the pork

Did this one some time in the early 80s (note the Mikasa Blue Daisy dishes ) Bamboo cups, abalone shell salad bowls, bamboo place mats, plastic leis, and served on the floor (note hideous shag carpet )

This one was done more recently (2008) I used a red air dry clay from Michael's, it looked a little better than the pale white clay but I forgot to put an apple in it's mouth.

On 2017-01-04 15:31, MadDogMike wrote:Here is a variation of a dish called Beggar's Chicken that's great fun to serve at a small luau
Crockpot Kalua pork pre-cooked, wrapped in foil then wrapped in clay and baked. At the table you break the clay off and serve the pork

Did this one some time in the early 80s (note the Mikasa Blue Daisy dishes ) Bamboo cups, abalone shell salad bowls, bamboo place mats, plastic leis, and served on the floor (note hideous shag carpet )

This one was done more recently (2008) I used a red air dry clay from Michael's, it looked a little better than the pale white clay but I forgot to put an apple in it's mouth.

I wonder if you could make a cloche in the shape of the kalua pig, so you always have it...
_________________-J.